In this digital age, downloading a complete website can be a useful task for various purposes, such as archiving, offline browsing, or even scraping data. Ubuntu Linux provides a powerful terminal-based utility called wget that can accomplish this task with ease. In this article, we will explore how to use wget to download a complete website and also discuss how to increase the download speed using aria2.

What is Wget?

wget is a free and open-source command-line utility used for downloading files from the internet. It supports HTTP, HTTPS, and FTP protocols, making it a versatile tool for downloading websites, files, and even entire directories.

Downloading a Complete Website Using Wget

To download a complete website using wget, follow these steps:

1. Open the terminal on your Ubuntu Linux system.


2. Type the following command to download the website: wget -r -l 0 -k -p http://example.com
   
   
   
   • -r option enables recursive downloading, which means wget will download all the linked pages and files.
   
   
   • -l 0 option sets the maximum depth of the recursive download to infinity, allowing wget to download the entire website.
   
   
   • -k option converts the links in the downloaded HTML files to make them suitable for offline browsing.
   
   
   • -p option downloads all the necessary files, such as images, stylesheets, and scripts, to make the website functional offline.
   
   
   
   


3. Press Enter to start the download process.

Increasing Download Speed Using Aria2

While wget is a powerful tool, it may not always provide the fastest download speeds. This is where aria2 comes in – a lightweight, command-line download utility that supports multi-connection downloads, making it faster than wget in many cases.

To increase the download speed using aria2, follow these steps:

1. Install aria2 on your Ubuntu Linux system: sudo apt-get install aria2


2. Use the following command to download the website using aria2: aria2c -x 4 -k 1M http://example.com
   
   
   
   • -x 4 option sets the maximum number of connections to 4, allowing aria2 to download the website in parallel.
   
   
   • -k 1M option sets the minimum piece size to 1MB, which can help improve download speeds.
   
   
   
   

As explained in the article Increasing Download Speed Using Aria2 on Ubuntu Terminal, aria2 can significantly improve download speeds by utilizing multiple connections and optimizing the download process.

Merging Wget and Aria2

To combine the benefits of wget and aria2, you can use the following command: wget -r -l 0 -k -p http://example.com & aria2c -x 4 -k 1M http://example.com This command will start the wget download process and then use aria2 to accelerate the download speed.

Conclusion

Downloading a complete website using wget on Ubuntu Linux terminal is a straightforward process. By using the recursive option and converting links, you can download an entire website for offline browsing or archiving. Additionally, using aria2 can significantly improve download speeds by utilizing multiple connections and optimizing the download process. By combining the benefits of both tools, you can efficiently download complete websites and enjoy faster download speeds.